Friday, October 11, 2013

Five Nights With...Killer Couples: Pierrot le Fou

So, here we are, at the end of the week and the end of this series for the month. This has been a fun week of crazy mayhem and some astute observations not only on violence but also on the danger of striving for celebrity.

To close the week, we get to talk about a very special film. You can read Josh's review of the film here (thanks for playing along buddy).

So...what film are we discussing today?

Easily
(and I mean that in the boldest of senses) one of my favorite films of all
time, ‘Pierrot le Fou’ is cinematic perfection personified. There isn’t a single moment of this film that
doesn’t fill me with every emotion needed to captivate and just thrust me into
a sensory overdose. From the lush sets
to the engaged performances to the witty banter to the sharply edited sequences
to the ravishingly spectacular script, ‘Pierrot le Fou’ is, in a word, perfect.

Enough
gushing already.

The
film tells the story of a dissatisfied husband who has married solely for
money, not for love, and thus embarks on a passion filled escapade with the
babysitter. Ferdinand is uninspired by his
existence, but Marianne promises (with her bewitching walk and ‘come-hither’
eyes) a life free from regret. He sees a
future that encompasses everything his current state is lacking, and so he runs
off with her, setting their sights on Paris (who wouldn’t?). Things get sticky along the way, and the two
find themselves engaged in acts of random violence they never imagined was
their destiny. Their adventure turns
dangerous and soon they are left with nothing left to do but jump right into
the fire.

The
very thought of this movie makes me want to drop to my hands and knees and
perform an act of worship.

I
have and always will be an advocate for French cinema, especially the 60’s new
wave campaigned by the likes of Francois Truffaut and my personal favorite film
director (of all time) Jean-Luc Godard.
‘Pierrot le Fou’ capitalizes on everything I find so enthralling about
French new wave. There is the obvious
weighty themes but they are presented in an enchantingly jovial tone that keeps
the audience entertained, even in the throes of crisis. The colorful sets only serve as slick
compliments to the films grounded performances (Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna
Karina were never better) and the films sharp editing helps embellish the
complexities of the films plot.

In
the end, ‘Pierrot le Fou’ is about our personal convictions and the need, as
people, to be invested in our own destiny.

While
one can easily point to the films sporadic delivery and ascertain that it is
merely an ‘art’ film, one would be wrong in simply dismissing it for its
entertainment value alone. The film, for
me, captures elements from all sides of the cinematic spectrum. The film is deeply unsettling when you start
to take its elements seriously (especially the eventualities contained in the
films conclusion), which adds a completely different layer to the films
tone. The film is undeniably
entertaining, which is not something many ‘art’ films can attest to being. Most people label ‘art’ films as boring and
needlessly complex (I’m not talking about myself here) but this film, which is
most certainly an ‘art’ film, is far from either. There is a rich poignancy here that
transcends the films release date, and there is an enigmatic atmosphere that
only helps elevate the films importance.

It is fresh, it is exciting, it is dangerous, it is meaningful, and it is loud, abrasive and epic in every sense of the word.

It is cinema; cut, paste and send!

So that closes the week and now we get to anticipate next month's 'Five Nights With...'! I'm thinking about doing something different for next month, and hopefully the rest of you can pick a night to play along. I was flirting with the idea of a double feature type blogathon, and the thought of comparing different versions of monster movies caught my eye. So, here is the schedule and film assignments for the next series!

11/4: Frankenstein (1931) vs. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

11/5: An American Werewolf in London (1981) vs. An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

About Me

What is there to say? I love movies, books, music...whatever and I love talking about it. I love predicting Oscars and publishing my own personal awards (Fistis!) and I love hearing what you have to say about what I have to post. It's come a long way from it's very humble (and slightly embarrassing) beginnings and has turned into a blog that I'm very proud to be the founder of.